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Logan Imhoff

English 1201

Professor Dunham

20 March 2021

Literature Review

When someone thinks about marriage, the first thing that comes to mind for most is the

husband and wife. The husband and wife are the two that technically divorce, but where does

that leave the children? In the past 50 years, divorce has become much more common compared

to the miniscule amount of divorces before. This made it less likely for a child to worry. In many

divorces, the child is still very young. As a young child, their mind is still developing. A divorce

can alter the way a child thinks and develops, but in what areas? In what ways does a divorce

affect the child’s mental and physical health?

Before the 1970’s, divorce was very uncommon and hard to obtain. Up until the 1970’s, a

couple could only divorce if one party was at fault. A spouse would have to be involved in

adultery, or any other fault that could ultimately ruin a marriage and be proven. This was

changed in 1969, when “No-Fault” divorce was legalized in California. With this new law being

passed, no party had to be at fault for the divorce to be recognized by the government. This new

law was passed to provide a cheaper divorce process. This new method helped alleviate the cost

of lawyers and sped up the divorce process. One key topic was largely neglected; the custody of

the child. Although later laws were put into effect to combat these issues, it showed the lack of

attention that children have in the divorce process (Hardy).

One way that divorce affects the child is their performance in academics. When a child’s

parents divorce, it often distracts the child and takes much of their attention away from them,
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especially their schoolwork. Schoolwork is a daily activity for a child. Because of this, a divorce

can greatly affect the child’s attentiveness at school. The child will spend the time they usually

put aside for school to think about the new dynamics of their life with divorced parents. The

more distracted the child becomes, the easier the child could fall behind in their schoolwork.

Being put into this hole will only make the child more vulnerable and upset (What are the Effects

of Divorce on Children?).

Another effect that divorce has on children is the relationship that the child has with their

parents. In many cases, the child will only live with one parent after the divorce is finalized. This

can be unhealthy for the child as they develop into an adult. Parents are key contributors to a

child’s psychological, social, and economic resources. Having all of these resources from both

parents leads to a healthier lifestyle for the child. The child’s relationship with the parents also

often becomes affected with the level of cooperation the parents have with each other.

Arguments and conflict between the divorced parents can often lead the child to feel torn

between the parents, and can even make them feel frightened (Steinbach). This lack of

cooperation can destroy the extremely needed relationship between the child and their parents

(Gurgan).

A lack of social interest can also be found in children with divorced parents. A child who

sees a divorce within their own family will often feel that they are different from other families.

They feel that they do not relate well to other children who have a healthy family and parents

with a healthy relationship. This leads the child to believe that they will not relate well

(Anderson). If the child does not believe that they will fit in due to their home life, they will have

less interest in trying to socialize. Without a healthy relationship at home, and no social
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interaction outside of the home, the child is left feeling alone (What are the Effects of Divorce on

Children?).

Lastly, children can be affected by divorce by losing faith in marriage. Research has

determined that children who experienced divorce have a higher risk of divorcing in their own

relationship. By seeing an unhealthy relationship growing up, a child is more likely to repeat the

actions of their parents and their relationship. The child was not exposed to a healthy relationship

growing up. In some studies, the research conducted indicates that a person who comes from a

divorced home is three times more likely to divorce than a person who grew up in a home with

parents who never divorced. This statistic is made possible by the child’s perceptiveness of the

relationship they believed to be a normal marriage. This “normal” marriage makes the child

desire finding a spouse less desired (What are the Effects of Divorce on Children?).

There are many effects on a child that can be closely related to the divorce of their

parents. The effects can be different for each child. The effects can range from physical changes,

such as problems with academics, to mental challenges like social disability. A child can also

never feel these effects. While this is a possibility, many factors can alter this at any time.
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Works Cited

Anderson, J. (2014, November). The impact of family structure on the health of children: Effects

of divorce. Retrieved March 07, 2021, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240051/

Gurgan, Ugur. “The Effect of Psychodrama Integrated Psycho-Education Program on Resilience

and Divorce Adjustment of Children of Divorced Families.” World Journal of Education,

vol. 10, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 56–68. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1247823&site=eds-live.

Hardy, James, et al. The History of Divorce Law in the USA. 15 Feb. 2021,
historycooperative.org/the-history-of-divorce-law-in-the-usa/.

Steinbach, Anja. “Children’s and Parents’ Well‐Being in Joint Physical Custody: A Literature

Review

What are the Effects of Divorce on Children? (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2021, from

https://www.familymeans.org/effects-of-divorce-on-children.html